Editor’s Note: One of the things I really wanted to do when I came back was get “Drafting With” up on the site in some form five days a week with five
different people. The reason for this is that even great drafters will draft radically different decks with the same set of cards presented to them.
Aside from being my personal favorite Magic player ever Kenji is one of those players who always seemed to have a unique perspective on most draft
formats. Therefore I’m delighted to bring him back to our pages once more.
Oh and while he’s been away from the Pro Tour he’s been studying English as well. What you see here is untranslated and merely cleaned up
from his original copy.
– CardGame
Hello everyone. I’m happy to come back to StarCityGames.com. I’m not necessarily a good player and writer these days but I’ll do my best
in every draft!
Pack 1 pick 1:
My Pick:
It was truly my first draft including real life. I was thinking my first pick was between Indomitable Angel and Oxidda Scrapmelter. Both cards are good but I finally chose the brilliant Angel. Because it’s mythic rare it means I won’t have enough chances to test it.
Pack 1 pick 2:
My Pick:
This was an easy pick for me. All fliers are good in this block.
Pack 1 pick 3:
My Pick:
Glint Hawk Idol is really good but because this is a new format I didn’t know if everyone wants to take Myr early or not so I took Gold Myr.
Pack 1 pick 4:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 5:
My Pick:
Pack 1 pick 6:
My Pick:
Alright I’ve already learned that I can take Myr later in my picks. This is a bit different than the old Mirrodin block but it was still good news to me. I was happy to get the Myr to make metalcraft easier and to shore up my mana base.
Pack 1 pick 7:
My Pick:
I live in a house which is close to Shuhei Nakamura’s house so I still learn Magic from him. He told me the infect archetype is the best in Draft right now and he said Darksteel Myr isn’t good because of poison decks. I thought this creature was good against other decks particularly against the green fatties.
Pack 1 pick 8:
My Pick:
Liquimetal Coating is good with my Angel and some metalcraft but Abuna Acolyte is a really good two-drop. I like taking good cards without any combo in Draft all the time.
Pack 1 pick 9:
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Pack 2 pick 1:
My Pick:
I should take Neurok Replica but I like the Sentinel too much.
Pack 2 pick 2:
My Pick:
I’d take Glint Hawk Idol but Trigon of Corruption is very good against my deck and I think it’s really good period.
Pack 2 pick 3:
My Pick:
Pack 2 pick 4:
My Pick:
I felt happy to get Liquimetal Coating. My Angel and other metalcrafters should be better.
Pack 2 pick 5:
My Pick:
I already had enough Myr so I must take Myr Galvanizer right? But I like the tapper a little bit better here because it’s better than Galvanizer in metalcraft decks.
Pack 2 pick 6:
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Pack 3 pick 1:
My Pick:
Both Myr Battlesphere and Razor Hippogriff are good but especially early in formats mine and Oiso’s policy is that when we debate between a good uncommon and rare (or mythic) we’ll take higher rarity card. You only get a few chances to test rares or mythics.
Pack 3 pick 2:
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Pack 3 pick 4:
My Pick:
I like this guy too much and I don’t need a second Liquimetal Coating in this deck.
Pack 3 pick 5:
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2 Abuna Acolyte
1 Chrome Steed
1 Clone Shell
2 Darksteel Sentinel
2 Darksteel Myr
2 Gold Myr
1 Indomitable Archangel
1 Iron Myr
1 Leaden Myr
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Myr Propagator
1 Neurok Replica
1 Riddlesmith
1 Silver Myr
1 Sky-Eel School
1 Vedalken Certarch
1 Golem Foundry
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Myr Reservoir
1 Revoke Existence
1 Trigon of Corruption
Sideboard
1 Neurok Invisimancer
1 Screeching Silcaw
1 Disperse
1 Kuldotha Rebirth
1 Soul Parry
1 Psychic Miasma
1 Vigil for the Lost
1 Panic Spellbomb
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Glimmerpost
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Loxodon Wayfarer
1 Vulshok Heartstoker
1 Ferrovore
1 Plains
1 Ghalma’s Warden
1 Stoic Rebuttal
1 Razorfield Thresher
1 Assault Strobe
Round 1 W/R with Furnace Celebration
Game1
I had mulligan to five but my draw was good. Turn 3 Abuna Acolyte followed by turn 4 Trigon of Corruption and another Acolyte came later. My
opponent was playing a W/R aggro deck but the creatures weren’t good enough to overcome my Acolytes so the board was good for me. Unfortunately
Razor Hippogriff got back his Tumble Magnet and then he attached Barbed Battlegear to Hippogriff. I couldn’t kill it and the game was over.
Game 2
I had a perfect start. My Darksteel Myr and Indomitable Archangel worked well to stop any opposing assault. My opponent had only creatures without any
tricks so I had time to wait and cast Myr Battlesphere. Then he conceded.
Game 3
I played Riddlesmith and two Abuna Acolytes while my opponent played Panic Spellbomb Origin Spellbomb Glint Hawk Idol and Auriok Edgewright. I
added two Darksteel Myr and Sky-Eel School. I didn’t really have much to threaten my opponent with though. Thankfully I cast Liquimetal Coating
and Riddlesmith sent me Indomitable Archangel. The combo stopped my opponent’s Tumble Magnet and any removal. I won the game soon after.
Round 2 B/R with Molten-Tail Masticore Kuldotha Phoenix and Ratchet Bomb
Game 1
I was suffering from two Fume Spitters Instill Infection and Ratchet Bomb. My deck contained too many one-toughness creatures so it was probably the
worst matchup in the pod.
Of course I started with a lot of one-toughness creatures like Vedalken Certarch Gold Myr Silver Myr and Darksteel Myr. Happily opponent
didn’t use his Ratchet Bomb and Fume Spitters so I could cast Indomitable Angel and Sky-Eel School. The Bomb got rid of my Angel and Sky-Eel
died from combat; though by that time I drew enough lands to cast two of my Darksteel Sentinels.
His board was a Fume Spitter Kuldotha Phoenix Panic Spellbomb and Sylvok Lifestaff. My board was Vedalken Certarch Abuna Acolyte Darksteel Myr
and a Darksteel Sentinel. I was at ten life and he was at nine life. He attacked with Phoenix; I prevented one damage so I went seven. Then he cast
Molten-Tail Masticore with only two mana left. I cast the second Sentinel at the end of the turn which turned on metalcraft. This forced to him to use
his Fume Spitter. I thought my tapper was going to die but he killed my Darksteel Myr instead. It was a big mistake because if he killed my tapper
I’d need to draw Revoke Existence in two turns to win.
I played Leaden Myr then attacked with my Sentinels. He blocked one of them and went down to six life. I tapped his Phoenix on his upkeep. He played
nothing and passed the turn. He still had a chance to kill my tapper with his Masticore to survive but he didn’t. So next turn I tapped his
Masticore and attacked with all my creatures to win.
Game 2
My deck met its nemesis on turn 2 named Embersmith. My first two creatures were killed by the Smith and I didn’t draw big creatures like Angel
or Myr Battlesphere. I tried to live longer to get a chance to draw them but Molten-Tail Masticore came earlier than my bombs and that was it.
Game 3
I mulliganed to six and got a slow start. Meanwhile my opponent was stuck on two lands with a Leaden Myr. He still managed to cast a three-mana
creature every turn in Snapsail Glider and Moriok Replica. I had Abuna Acolyte and Neurok Replica. Then I cast Sky-Eel School with two cards left in my
hand. I had to choose a card to discard from these three: Darksteel Sentinel Myr Battlesphere and Revoke Existence.Revoke Existence seemed
like the most necessary card if I also thought he had Masticore. To me Sentinel isn’t good enough in this case because my opponent already had many
creatures on his board so I discarded Sentinel.
He was still stuck on two lands but still in the game. He cast Necrogen Scudder which I bounced with Neurok Replica and carried on attacking with
Sky-Eel School. He cast Masticore next turn but I answered that play with Revoke Existence. I drew a seventh land next turn and finally Battlesphere
gave me a win.
Round 3
My opponent offered me to split because he wanted to go to GP registration. I accepted that because I had to go too. I’ll never split again except
when I don’t have time.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
Kenji